


From Russia with Love

by Zip001



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Mail Order Bride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-08 23:47:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7778368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zip001/pseuds/Zip001
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was my original treatment for Mail Order Bride prompt which I deep sixed for another premise. But I still think it could be a fun rom-com.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

After almost a year of anger management counseling, which he entered because of his daughter, he could talk to his brother Robert without wanting to punch him to a pulp. He still thought his older brother was an arse but that was a given.

But this was something else. It started with Robert calling him and asking him to do him a favor of picking someone up from the airport as he had an appointment; and he reluctantly agreed, hearing Dr. Pylo's voice in his head and saying that this was his first test to act like a true brother, to be a bigger man (although not in terms of physical size as his brother was quite obese).

When he saw a glamorous model launching herself onto him and kissing him with abandon, he knew something was amiss and that his brother was involved. Playing a serious game of tongue hockey with her, he did not know whether he should be angry with Robert or thank him. In fact, he could not think at all, all blood rushed from his brain to one specific area in his body. His body went to auto control mode, with his hands grabbing her tight ass and grinding her curvaceous body against his body. The auburn haired goddess sighed his name over and over. There were loud groaning and moaning and obscene grunting noises, and he realized later that they were coming from him.

They only stopped when a man pushed him, yelling to get a room and that there were young children around. Chastened, he silently grabbed her two bags and escorted the young lady to his car, embarrassed and frankly shocked by their actions, the spectacle they made in the airport.

Only as he drove her to Robert's house did he realize that he had no idea who she was, only that she knew his name and that he wanted her in the most carnal of ways (for example, in the elevator, against the garage wall, over the hood of his Audi, in the backseat, on the side of road, in a toll booth, etc.). Perhaps all of his repressed anger converted to repressed sexual desires - he frankly did not know and did not truly want to know what sort of depraved man he was, perhaps he was more like Robert than he wanted to believe and that was why he was so angry. He did not want to look at her, afraid that he would not be able to control himself. This temptress was obviously an escort for his brother; and the sooner he delivered her to him, the better it would be for him even though he knew he would never be able to wipe away his memory of how her soft body fit so perfectly with his, the sweet and lemony taste of her, and how she made him feel, so alive and so complete. But why did she know his name? He swore she sighed his name.

Sitting silently in the well appointed German car, Sansa looked over her new husband who reverted back to scowling as he did before she greeted him so enthusiastically. He was not happy with her - perhaps she needed to use more tongue like her friends Mya and Myranda told her. He would not even look at her and was gripping the steering wheel so tightly.

Did she embarrass him? She looked down on her outfit - a tasteful but yet sexy white shirt (top buttons left open) with dark navy pencil skirt with tall black pumps. She heard about another girl, Myrcella, who was returned in shame as she did not please her "husband", Oberyn Martell, a wealthy Spaniard who did not want a virginal girl; and that cannot happen to her. Even though she was a virgin, Sansa needed her husband to want her so much that he would sponsor her siblings, especially Bran, who was crippled and needed the medical care that he could get here, that he could not get at home.

Sansa vowed to do better - maybe if she would try all the techniques that Myranda swore worked and that she practiced on with squashes. Mya told her that it was better to not be too forward but she had no one, unless Lothor counted, while Myranda had many wealthy suitors.

But Stannis seemed to really like her greeting. His mouth greedily drank hers. She felt his avid interest on her stomach and her crotch when his strong grip on her ass lifted her against his groin as her legs automatically wrapped around his waist. She heard his loud moans and sighs. He grunted loudly as he ground her against him.

And she was surprised that she liked his reaction - the way his lips captured hers, the passion in his dark blue eyes, the firmness in his grip and the hardness of his body. He did not make rude comments, grope her or slobbered over her unlike the men who frequented Myranda. He was a gentleman who carried her bags and opened her car door. And he was handsome - tall, strong and beautiful eyes. If only he did not scowl so much.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> road trip (gads I am horrible with summaries - lol)

Two hours, eighteen minutes, and thirty seven seconds never felt so long. The only sound out of him was the grinding of his teeth. As every minute ticked loudly on her large Vostok steel watch, her confidence sank. He was going to return her - she had let her family down. It was everything she feared even though her friends assured her that she was adorable, so easy to love.

Shaking her head, she would not give up. She could not.

Perhaps Stannis was one of the few men who preferred a slower pace or preferred to be the one who set the pace; and he was offended by her boldness. His letters seemed so different from the others. One letter attached an excerpt of his journal that detailed his nursing to health his goshawk, Proudwing, and it moved her to tears. He was a sensitive soul, like her brother Bran. He deserved an equal, a strong and assured woman, not a silly stupid girl.

Sansa should not have kissed him but her friends, with whom she has been practicing, said she was a greater kisser and that she should greet him with a kiss. At first, their kiss was lovely, then became so passionate that she could not breathe. When their bodies connected, she felt like this man, who was so kind, could be truly the one, the one who she could love and who would love her like the way her late father loved her late mother. But Stannis was so distant now, so angry.

As they drove closer to their destination, he became more irate, about the injustice and unfairness of life. How could she be with his brother? She deserved better and more, a man who would treat her like a queen, not just another filly in his stable (Stannis still cringed after finally understanding what Robert meant when he said he liked riding and liked using the whip - shudder, shudder), and a man who would be forever true to her (even though there was no love in his marriage, Stannis never cheated nor even thought of cheating on his late wife). And how did she end up being an escort? He was angry at the world at the dire circumstances that must have pushed her into this life.

He stole looks at her, noticing her anxiety and growing paleness. She was scared. That made him even angrier - he raged! And the hellish traffic further fed his fury. When he growled at the bloody arse that just cut him off, Stannis saw her flinching. He realized to his shame that he was scaring her, this sweet girl, that he was making it worse for her. 

He did not know what to do - this was like the rare moments that he saw Shireen crying. Shireen seemed to appreciate it when he stroke her arms. He tentatively reached for her tiny hand and held it, hoping that it would make her feel better. When her hand gently squeezed back, his heart fluttered. Stannis wanted so much to protect and care for her. 

This travesty - her being merely a fuck toy for his lecherous brother - could not be! He would not let it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> R&R - Robert and revelations (Stannis only)

When she felt that there was no hope, no chance that she could thaw this man's seemingly cold heart and ire, he gently held her hand. And at that moment, it felt like the sun was peeking out from the dark grey clouds. She squeezed back and looked intently at his face, worried that she offended once again with her touch. His face relaxed, and she felt such relief. The last ten minutes he held her hand until they reached their destination.

Stannis jumped out of his seat and rushed to her side, nudging aside the valet to help her out of the car. He had the bellman take her bags to Robert's penthouse apartment up the service elevator and gently led her to Robert's private elevator.

She normally knew what to say - everyone lauded her skills as a hostess at home - but his glaring silence made her feel intimidated, worried to speak out of turn or say something stupid. 

When he helped her out of the car, he realized that she was even more beautiful the closer he was to her - her hair was like the colors of the sunset, her clear blue eyes as vividly bright blue as the sea and those full lips so perfect, so kissable. Staring at her intensely, he was rendered speechless at her beauty but he knew that he should be more friendly and welcoming to her.

"I th-" she started.

"Erm, how -" Stannis spoke at the same time.

"No, after you," they said at the same time.

Both waited a beat and then spoke in unison again which made her giggle and snort. Stannis smiled. It felt like the sun shining down her, making her feel warm inside.

Once she stopped giggling, he cleared his throat said, "I regret my behavior at the airport and in the car. I did not mean to make you feel uncomfortable - I am not angry with you."

Sansa laid her hand on his chest and was about to protest when the elevator door slid open and a large men laughingly hugged them both, painfully squashing them against each other. That must be his older brother Robert. She noticed Stannis' body stiffened and his face turned dark. He looked like he was going yell but instead glared at Robert.

"Miss Sansa Starkova, you look radiant. Did you have a comfortable flight?" Robert asked. He kissed both of her cheeks, three times like the way her father used to.

"Thank you, Robert. The flight was smooth and very comfortable. It is wonderful to meet you in person," she replied. She never flew first class before, and the flight attendants enjoyed her excitement over everything and were so kind to give her tiny toiletry kits in fine leather bags for her siblings at home. The pilot even gave her a toy plane for Rickon.

Her eyes scanned the luxurious penthouse with views of the city and the bay. Sansa felt even more out of place here than in the airplane. Was this to be her new home? The foyer was even bigger than the room she lived with her younger siblings. She felt a firm hand on her back, calming her down. Leaning into her new husband, she looked up at him in gratitude and saw his sad eyes looking down at her. 

Before she could reach out to him, Robert boomed again with laughter, and he clapped Stannis hard on his back, with Stannis flinching from the pain.

"I see you that you have already met each other well," he laughed as he wiped the lipstick marks from Stannis' red face with his large thumb. Flushing red with embarrassment, she realized that she was too rough on Stannis as his previously crisp suit looked rumpled with his shirt losing a few buttons where she held onto for dear life. This was not how she wanted her new brother-in-law to view her, as some wanton harlot.

Straightening his suit awkwardly, Stannis excused himself and his brother after asking if she needed any refreshments, which she demurred, and asking her to sit down as he needed to speak with his brother. She sat down and watched her husband dragged his brother to another room, slamming the door.

All of those anger management tools he used to calm himself went out the door as he tried to strangle his brother who quickly put him in a head lock, laughing. Robert immediately threw him down and pinned him down.

Robert continued to laugh and bellowed, "It has been so long since we wrestled like we did when we were kids. I miss this, but we need to get ready for me to officiate your wedding."

Stannis sputtered, "W-what???"

"Yeah, me officiating a wedding? Crazy, huh? But it shows you that with another cash, you can do practically anything. I wanted Renley and your daughter to be here on this day but alas, your bride had to come today or who knew when she could get out next." Renley was out of the country on a business trip while Shireen was on an overnight class trip.

Stannis could not understand what was going on. One minute he was on the ground with his brother's hand putting in a choke hold on his neck, the next his brother lifted him up and was hugging him, blabbering about him officiating Stannis' wedding. 

"Sansa is even lovelier in person than her pictures. She is a sweet girl. You are a very lucky man. According to her file, she has a university degree in the arts, and she speaks four tongues [jabbing Stannis in the gut] fluently. You know about that, doncha?"

Waving a thick folder, Robert continued, "I want the best for you and Shireen. You need a wife, and she needs a mother. And there was no way that was going to happen when all you do is work and stay home. It says here that after her parents died, she took care of her three younger siblings, the oldest being a girl little older than Shireen and the youngest being a toddler. One of her brothers need surgery on his legs. She would be a great mother to Shireen and the babies you two are going to have."

"What? She left her siblings back at home - who is going to care for them?" Stannis asked.

"You are, you said Shireen was lonely, and her siblings could be Shireen's siblings. I am getting the paperwork finalized to bring them over but I cannot finish the process unless you marry her. Sansa is perfect for you - beautiful, smart and patient - she would need that, patience of a saint, being married to you... [speaking softly] Stannis, I want to make up for all the time, you know, when I made you cry." 

Robert looked so earnest and yet also so proud of everything, as if he solved everything when he made a mess of everything. 

His brother thought to gift him with a wife, as if she was property to be transferred and disposed of. The beautiful woman sitting in the living room deserved a man better than himself, an embittered old man who would not know what to do to make her happy and who only a few minutes before objectified her, treating her no better than what his brother was doing. But then he knew that other men could be even worse, treating her as a sex slave, and not even consider sponsoring and bringing her family here. He did not want her to be forced to marry him because she had to for her siblings. When her siblings arrive, he would find a way for them to all stay. He and his brother had enough money to provide for them.

Wordlessly, Stannis nodded and was embraced again by his brother, knocking the wind out of him.

He knew that his brother meant well, but it felt so wrong especially when they returned and she smiled tremulously at them both, with her tiny hands wringing.

His brother held his hand and her hand and they held each other's hands, forming a small ring with Robert's butler, cook, personal physician, and lawyer standing nearby as witnesses. He did not remember the ceremony, nor his vows nor frankly hers. Stannis only remembered the pretty pink flush on her cheeks, her bright happy eyes and her lips in a delighted smile. When they kissed the second time, it felt even better, if that were possible, than the first as he ridiculously felt that he was hers and she truly his, and they were to be forever. This farce felt more real than all the years he was married to Selyse. 

Even his brother's guffawing at their passionate kiss did not ruffle his feathers. He only saw her blue eyes and her dazzling smile.

When she sat waiting for them to return, Sansa overhead sounds of wrestling, like the way Bran and Rickon (and Arya) used to fight before the accident that took the lives of their parents and their oldest brother Robb and that crushed the legs of Bran. They were in the room for a long time, and she worried that she was a disappointment to him. She was not as strikingly beautiful as Danaerys (who was quite aloof though but may actually more suited to Stannis), nor as voluptuous or funny as Myranda, nor even as clever and strong as Mya. Her skills of sewing, drawing and singing are unlikely ones that a rich powerful man like Stannis would appreciate or desire. There was booming laughter - were they laughing at her?

Then the double doors swung open, and she saw his face looking so tenderly at hers, so wistful and yet a bit sad. Robert had them hold hands and had them speak words to bind them as man and wife, under the laws and eyes of man and god. She remembered seeing her husband's mouth move, promising fidelity, support, loyalty and love. When she made her vows, she meant every word - she wanted to be a good wife. When he kissed her, her heart felt like it would burst as he held her, making her feel so cherished and protected. 

He decided to wed her, and she would do everything to make sure that he would not regret his decision.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They make the bed.

It was a whirlwind of signing papers, getting blood drawn and fingerprinted, champagne toasts, appetizers, and more kisses from both Robert (on her red cheeks) and Stannis (on her swollen red lips). Robert and his lawyer told her that with their marriage, they could now start the process to sponsor her siblings. It seemed too good to be true. But Stannis nodded - that reassured her. Somehow she knew that he was not one to lie, that she could trust him. 

Her head was spinning as she drank more than she normally would. She snorted softly and giggled. Her friends laughed at her low tolerance for alcohol, saying that she was not a true Russian. But she was so happy and so relieved that she felt that she could be drunk even on lemon water that Stannis was drinking instead of the champagne. Her fortunes have finally turned.

When Stannis left the room, Robert held her hands and earnestly told her that they would have more formal wedding celebration once her family arrived and the rest of their family, his youngest brother Renley and Stannis' daughter, were present to celebrate the union between Stannis and her. It would be whatever she and Stannis wanted, no expenses spared. He quietly told her that his brother is a good man, who he knew would be good to her, and he began to cry. When Stannis returned to see his brother bawling, using his wife as a life size Kleenex, he was horrified. He wanted to leave immediately but then he saw Sansa hug the big man, holding him and singing to him as if she were singing to a young child until he stopped shaking with tears. Blinking, he could see her comforting their child, a beautiful child with her hair and his eyes. Shaking his head, he knew that vision was a pipe dream and knew that he should not indulge in these fantasies (his brother's vision of Sansa as his wife and mother of his children) because it would only lead to heart ache. 

Finally, Stannis drove her to another condo, which was not as large and ostentatious as Robert's penthouse. It also had high ceilings and large windows but was stark yet tastefully furnished. Unlike Robert's penthouse that was filled with flowers, vases, artwork, chandeliers, family photographs, throw pillows, throws, and statues, Stannis' condo had almost no accessories or art. Their homes seemed to be negative images of each other. 

Similarly, he and his brother were good men although they seemed so different from each other. Both seemed to have good hearts. While one seemed to overindulge, especially with food and wine, the other went to the other extreme, abstaining from alcohol and rich foods. It seemed like Stannis was afraid to have any fun while Robert had too much fun. The only time Stannis let go was when he kissed her and even then after their first kiss, he seemed to be holding back and looked at her with such sad eyes.

When they were finally alone, Stannis seemed even more nervous with her as if he was skittish that she would run away. She wanted to laugh at that thought as she remembered even thinking about chaining herself to him at one desperate moment while waiting for him and his brother to come out. 

So anxious to leave his Robert's place, Stannis forgot to gather her bags. None of Shireen's clothes would fit her - Shireen was a very petite high school freshman while Sansa was quite tall (in her towering heels, she was as tall as he). He would have to give her one of his Zimmerli fine cotton undershirts to sleep in. They were almost sheer, and he shuddered thinking how she would look in it with her curves. 

Taking that out and a freshly laundered white towel set (bath sheet, hand towel, and wash cloth), he placed them on the dresser along with a new toothbrush still in its box and a new Dove soap bar.

He proceeded to make his bed, replacing the old duvet cover, sheets and pillowcases with a new set. She stepped in to help him strip down the bed. Instead of letting them crumple on the floor, he folded the old sheets, and she followed his lead and did the same and when he turned away, she sniffed it, inhaling his scent. She put the new pillowcases and the duvet on as he made the bed.

It was strangely mesmerizing to watch him efficiently and silently make the bed with sheets so neatly and tightly tucked under the mattress. He was clearly a former military man like her father, who impressed on her and her siblings the importance of hard work, honor and duty. Every motion was exact - no wasted motion with every act adding value and having purpose. The only signs of agitation were the clenching of his jaws and the teeth grinding as well as his quick glances at her (when she met his glance, he blushed and quickly looked away). As he plumped the pillows, she recalled how his hands firmly held onto her ass and wondered how it would feel if he spanked her. She could not believe that she thought that, but there was something about him that made her think these thoughts, the thoughts that made her wet.

Finally, he turned to her and motioned to the shirt and towels and apologized, "I am sorry about your bags - I will retrieve them tomorrow. Hopefully, the shirt will fit; and these are for you. If you need anything, let me know."

Awkwardly bowing to her, he made to leave his bedroom with his pajamas, and she reached for his hand.

"Please stay," she whispered.

As he looked into her eyes, he could not deny her anything and feebly protested, "You don't have to-"

Sansa surprised herself and him when she interrupted him to ask, "What if I want to?"

When she squeezed his hand, he squeezed back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The test.

When Stannis looked at her, the invitation that was so clear in her eyes and her hand reaching and squeezing his, he just wanted to dive right into this fantasy - that she was truly his lovely wife and he her beloved husband - instead of standing in the cold stark reality of the situation that she was only marrying him so that she and her siblings could have a better life.

Stannis could not blame her. During his travels through Central and Eastern Europe, he saw the growing divide between the have's and have not's. While he and his clients were staying in five story hotels and dining in Michelin rated restaurants, the vast majority of the local population were barely eking by.

People could call her a gold digger but he could not, would not, condemn her actions, especially when they brought her to him. When he stepped out from the small post-wedding celebration, he read her file and read her letters to Robert who was impersonating him. The agency provided quite sad details of her family life - of how she lost her parents and older brother while she was at the university and how she had to drop out to care for her younger siblings. Instead of writing of her real life struggles of caring for three younger children, one of whom needed significant medical care, with a meager salary from her sporadic translation services and sewing jobs, Sansa seemed so concerned about him and especially about what happened with Proudwing. When Robert wrote of his concern about her and her siblings, she tended to deflect his concerns by saying that they are managing and that it was not too bad. There was simply no artifice in her writing - he knew that she was a kind, caring and strong person and that was before he saw her comforting his older brother. And it did not help that she was equally beautiful on the outside as she was on the inside. He was falling for her hard.

While Stannis had passing attraction for a few women in his life, he never felt this ache in his heart as he did now when he realized that the woman of his dreams was in front of him and that it would be so wrong for him to take advantage of her and the situation. Even after reading her file, he could not help kissing her sweet lips. He was heady drunk on her kisses. Telling himself that kissing was part of the Russian culture (exhibit I Brezhnev's greetings, which included tongue he was sure) and that he wanted to be culturally sensitive, he kissed her at least five times at Robert's place but he knew in his heart that those were piss-poor excuses.

This was a test of his character - just like his short stint in Vietnam where he and his men almost starved to death, but managed to hide from the enemy and be rescued - a test to determine what type of man he was. He thought of his daughter and the type of man he wanted for her.

Squeezing her hand, he pulled her soft body towards her and kissed her forehead. Watching her pretty smile bloom, it almost weakened his resolve. _Shireen_.

"You are so beautiful and kind. I want you to rest as I know it was a long flight and a grueling day. Good night, Sansa."

Those steps out of his room were so hard to take, and when he closed the door, he hear her sigh of relief (or sadness?).

Her heart was in her throat when he squeezed back, looking so tenderly at her, and pulled her into his strong arms. She felt that they belonged together - that her softness melded perfectly with his hard strong body. She felt safe and cherished when he kissed her forehead.

Everyone, even her best friends, scoffed at her love of the traditional Russian songs of true love, oft love at first sight, especially the song "Shine Shine My Star." In the short time that they met, she fell hard for this complex and sensitive man with such soulful and beautiful eyes. 

But then he walked away. And it hurt so much. She gasped and began to cry softly once the door was closed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> best part of waking up

Stannis shut his eyes, but sleep does not come even though the large sofa was actually quite comfortable and fit better his tall frame than his bed.

His mind was spinning. He recalled their first kisses, which were so primal and heated. He wanted her so badly and would likely have taken her right there in baggage claim, between carousel three and carousel four, if not for that angry shouty man. Then he thought of her fear and anxiety in the car and how her hand fitted so perfectly in his. He wanted to protect her, even if it were to protect her from him. When he and his brother came out of the room, he could not forget the look in her clear blue eyes, so hopeful and so warm. He wanted to gather her in his arms, to bask in her sunshine. And then when they did their vows, there was so much joy and relief in her clarion clear voice, almost devoid of any Russian accent with the slightest British accent. He wanted to believe that she was happy to wed him because she wanted him even a small fraction of how much he wanted her, but he knew that was not true. And yet afterwards, he could not stop kissing her until her lips were swollen and her eyes dazed. Stannis knew that he was the most wretched man. He tried so hard not to think of her last words and how undone she made him in less than a day. 

Given the bureaucracy and red tape that was likely to be encountered, he reckoned that it would take at least three or four months for her siblings to arrive; and he knew he would not be able to withstand her undeniable charms during that time. He would have to schedule many long business trips but he knew he would not, could not leave her alone. If he did not taste her lips, stroked her soft hair or felt her soft body, perhaps he could be a better man.

He looked again at his closed door, musing about the bright light shining through the crack of the door. Perhaps Sansa did not know what switch to use as his room had a vast array of switches that not only control the lights, but also the sound system and the window coverings. He did not explain or instruct her on that but instead ran out of his room like an idiotic green boy. If Robert saw that, he would be in the right for teasing him mercilessly. He was such an idiot!

She could not stop crying even when she changed into the thin shirt he left for her or while she got ready for bed. She turned away from the door, facing the window. It was a watershed moment as she did not cry after the Accident. There was so much to do, no time for tears, and she just did everything that had to be done - bury her parents and older brother, sell their home and possessions, and worked odd jobs to support her siblings after a short stay with her aunt Lysa and disgusting Uncle Petyr. She hardened her heart and focused on the here and now, never expecting or even hoping for anything good (or even borderline satisfactory) as that only would only lead her to heart ache. Every doctor's visit the prognosis for any sort of recovery for Bran was poor. He was in so much pain and often went without painkillers because there was simply no money. 

She could not stop. At first, she cried because of his rejection, which then turned into cry of relief that her family will be with her. She found herself crying for him strangely enough - he seemed as broken and sad as she was. She cried because she missed them, her family, even Arya who could get under her skin with just one facial expression of disgust or ridicule. Finally, she cried for all of her losses, the loss of her parents and Robb, her comfortable and happy university life that she took for granted, her loss of innocence and naïveté as she knew by joining the agency that she would have to sell herself, body and soul, in order to secure a better life for her family.

Suddenly, the large bed dipped as Stannis sat down beside her. Sansa wiped her tears and turned around to see him next to her. He leaned down and gathered her in his arms and repeated over and over again against her soft hair, "It would be all right." He said it as if he meant to not only convince her but also himself. But once he held her, she did not need any further convincing. All the anxiety seemed to melt away as they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

He awoke to her hair in his mouth and Sansa sprawled on his body with his arms still holding her. It was what his daughter would call the most wonderful, wonderfullest way to wake up. He kissed her hair. With her adorably fast asleep on his chest, he could stare at her without her notice, seeing the sweet sprinkle of freckles on her tiny nose and her shoulder which the large opening of v-neck shirt displayed. She was pale and ethereal, perhaps even lovelier without her makeup. And he glanced further down at her body that was not at all concealed by his almost translucent shirt - somehow, she seemed more naked wearing the shirt than if she were completely nude, with the shirt hugging and accentuating her curves and riding up her pale thighs and bare bottom to display her long legs. He gasped as he thought he saw her stiff nipples through the shirt. He looked away reluctantly and stared at the ceiling.

Sansa stirred, but did not seem to wake up and nuzzled against his chest. He felt such contentment waking up with her in his arms. Even when he was married with Selyse, they had two separate rooms (her room was now converted to Shireen's study or office) and he felt two separate lives so much so that when she died suddenly, it did not seem to make much impact to him, other than how it affected Shireen. Even though he did not see her express much affection for her daughter (and also knowing that he was not much better in showing his love), Shireen took her loss hard. Thinking of Shireen, he knew that he needed to do better for her and he tried. 

And the lovely lady in his arms, he silently vowed to her that he would also do right by her. He would assure her that once her siblings arrived, they would be divorced and that she and her siblings would always be well taken care of - that he would find her brother good medical care, enroll her siblings in the best private schools, and pay for her college education so she could finish her degree. She did not need to please him nor do frankly anything - that his charity was without any strings. He shook his head ruefully as he felt that she was the one who could pull his strings if she wanted to.

She had the most loveliest dreams - that a tall, dark, and handsome man was rescuing her, lifting her up from the brackish mire she was drowning in. He was kissing her hair and holding her down which made her feel more excited than scared. 

When she fluttered her eyes opened, she saw Stannis glancing appreciatively down her body, blushing and quickly looking away when he saw her ample chest barely covered by the translucent shirt and her bare bottom. Normally she would be disgusted by such looks, the leers that her uncle always made before they left his home, but his looks made her feel a sense of pride, titillation even, that she could somehow undo such a man, a good man she knew. He did not know yet she was awake as he was staring at the ceiling. If Myranda were here, she would have shook her bare bottom coquettishly to get his attention, but she did not know if she would have the gall to do that. She still did not know exactly why she decided to sleep without her underwear - maybe she wanted his shirt, as a proxy for the man himself, to touch her. She nuzzled him once again and heard him sigh with pleasure as he placed another kiss on her hair.

Sansa vowed to care for him as she somehow knew that no one has truly taken care of him since his parents died when he was a child. He seemed almost starved for love and she knew she could love him, or as her sister would scoff smother him with her love. Sansa knew that he felt some guilt or shame regarding their situation, but she would assure him that he was a good man and that she wanted him. She liked him in his letters, which seemed somehow more ebullient or expressive than in person (but she knew that sometimes in writing, she could convey more than when she was speaking), yet she found she was more moved by him in person, wanting to smooth out the furrows on his forehead caused by his scowling and to make his mouth turn upwards into a grin.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a Sunday, a day of rest, and he finally indulged himself by sleeping in, instead of jumping out of bed at the crack of dawn and doing his "morning" run in almost complete darkness. The sun awashed his room with blazingly bright light, as she did not know how to lower the blinds last night and he fell asleep with her in his arms. But to him, the brightest light was the sweet lady nestled beside him.

But although the two looked like they were sleeping, lying in bed, they were both highly alert and well aware of all the places their bodies touched each other - her chest on his stomach, her cheek on his chest, his lips on her hair, their legs tangled with each other, his arms embracing her and his hand touching the small of her back and the other on her bare shoulder, the hardness of his cock against her stomach, and the most excruciating for him, her hand on his nipple. They both pretended to be fast asleep although each suspected the other feigning sleep. It was wonderful and yet the sweetest torture.

When the short hand of her watch hit ten, his phone rang, startling them both. He got up and gently held her for a moment before reaching for the phone. Fuck! He forgot about sailing with Davos this morning.

"Davos, I am sorry but I cannot make it today... Something really important came up... I am fine and will talk to you later... Next week, next week, that should work. Sorry again. Bye."

She watched him and regretted that it was because of her that he missed his appointment with a friend. She saw how his eyes reflected his emotions - regret and amusement - although his voice remained calm. He did not speak much but as he said in his letters, he was a man of action moreso than words. While he briefly spoke with Davos, she was touched to see his free hand holding hers. She smiled, looking at their held hands, and his eyes crinkled upon seeing her sweet smile.

There was something about her that made him want to tell her that she was important to him, but by doing so, he knew that he would be making things more uncomfortable for her, making her feel more beholden to him. Yet he wanted to be the one who holds her hand and makes her smile.

He excused himself to go take a shower and saw where she hung her small black lace bra and panties on the towel rack. He stared at them like a bloody fool - Selyse had standard white underwear, large white matronly bras and even larger panties that went up to her natural waist line. When Stannis took a shower, he could not help but think of her curvy body in that damn undershirt in his bed, seemingly ripe for the picking as his brother always said about his one night stands, and her pretty and sexy underwear hanging just within his reach. It would be perverse if he were to grab them and smell them, and she probably hand washed them last night and hung them out to dry. Yet he could not help relieving himself thinking of sniffing and licking them and then doing the same to her.

As is his habit, he did not fully close his ensuite bathroom door as he wanted to be able to hear his phone in the bedroom (his bedroom door was always firmly closed, and Shireen never entered it). Through the crack, she saw him looking spellbound at her underwear, and she was flushed with embarrassment and also arousal. When he took off his clothes to take a shower in the glass enclosed bathing stall, she knew she should look away to give him privacy she would wish others would give her. Yet she watched and licked her suddenly dry lips, seeing his broad shoulders, strong chest and legs. And he was huge! Having bathed her younger brothers, she knew of the male form, but he was so proportionately much bigger than them, and she mused if he would fit her. She knew what he was doing in the water and somehow knew he was thinking of her, especially how he kept looking at the direction of her underwear. Yet it did not disturb her and in fact made her even more aroused.

While he was in the shower, he caught a glimpse of her staring at him through the crack in the door. Stannis would have thought that he was mistaken if her head did not swiftly turn away. She quickly left the bedroom and went to the guest bathroom.

Did she like what she saw? For a middle aged man, he was still quite fit, hardened from his many years in the military and from sailing and swimming, his twin passions. He was incredulous at the thought that she found him attractive - he was no Renley or Robert at his prime. But he thought it could be true as she stared so intently and seemingly appreciatively, licking her lips as if she was hungry. Perhaps he imagined it - it was a matter of seeing what he wanted to see, like the way his brothers seemed to see the world.

When Stannis came out of his room after getting dressed, carefully shaving (as he did not want to rub raw her beautiful face if they were to kiss again), and brushing his teeth (he was very diligent with his dental care, including flossing, when Shireen remarked his teeth was not as bright as his brothers), she was still blushing prettily as she started a pot of coffee. Without a trace of makeup, she looked so innocent and so glaringly younger than him. She deserved so much more.

It looked like she was ready to cook a breakfast fit for five men - many rashers of bacon, home fries, sliced toasts slathered in butter, hand squeezed lemonade (tart and tad too sweet for him), and eggs ready to be fried. Normally, he had coffee and some plain cooked oatmeal but he tucked in the large breakfast as she smiled proudly, wearing an oversized apron over that damn shirt and one long pigtail over her shoulder.

When she proudly placed the heaping platter of food in front of him, his heart felt that it was too big for his chest. She made it for him, and no food tasted as delicious - the potatoes were crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, the eggs well seasoned and the bacon (which he bought for Shireen) crisp and almost crackling in his mouth. He swore he never tasted food as tasty as she blushed and smiled some more. Closing his eyes, he savored the moment, recalling when his mother cooked breakfast for them so long ago. He would miss Sansa's care, her kindness and mostly just her warm presence. Once her siblings came, he will find a place for her and her family. Hopefully, she would want to see him again.

It felt so natural to hold her hand. When they finished eating the hearty food, with him murmuring his appreciation for the delicious food, he knew it was time to finally ease her mind and to let her know that she and her family will be cared for. He did not know where to start - he did not want to tell her that his brother was impersonating him but if he did not and she found out, she would likely be upset about the deception. He thought of his brother's letters to her - although the handwriting, spelling and grammar were likely atrocious, they must have revealed a man who was a better man than both of them combined - equal parts thoughtful, witty and romantic based on her sweet responses to his letters. If she acted receptive to him, perhaps it was also because she thought that he was that man, the selfless man who fell in love with her and wanted to save her and her siblings from the sad life they led in Russia. He did not want to deceive her.

Sansa was beyond thrilled that her plan to take care of him was a success. She could tell that he really enjoyed her cooking by the vast amount of food he ate and the appreciative sounds he made while eating. He seemed to be so touched at the spread on the table, as if he was not used to being cared for - she would make sure that he would not be wanting of such loving attention again.

When her husband tenderly held her hand even though it made eating more difficult for her (as she was right handed and for him as well as he was left handed), she wanted to melt into a pool of giddy happiness. Her friends would laugh at her that his mere holding of her hands would render her almost boneless with joy. His hands were large, strong and a bit rough as they had callouses. They reminded her of him, his rock hard body against her soft body that morning and bare in the bathing stall.

After they ate, his face looked troubled again, with his brows furrowed and his teeth beginning to grind as they did in the car. She wanted to soothe him and make him happy again.

Before he could speak, she sat on his lap and kissed him with her arms around his neck. She murmured that she wanted him and saw him shaking his head like a large dog, disbelief in his eyes. Pressing her body against his, she continued to pepper him with kisses on his lips, his jawline, his neck and his chest listening to the sounds he made - his heavy breathing as if he ran a long distance and his soft whimpering. She would convince him that she wanted him even though she was not exactly sure what she was doing, except for doing more of what made him growl like her gentle nipping of his lips and the little licks on his chest which made him grunt and grind her against his erection.

"I want you." _Kiss_. "I want you." _Lick_. "I want you." _Nibble_. "I want you."

This must be a dream - he could not believe that this sweet girl was on his lap and saying those words he wanted to hear and wanted so badly to believe. He had to keep his hands on her waist - she did not know what she was doing and what she was doing to him. She was just affectionate. But that was a nibble/lick combination on his sensitive part of his neck, and he could not stop his hands from gripping her round ass and rubbing her hot core against his hardened erection.

He could not fight it any more, his desire for her overwhelmed any coherent or even incoherent thoughts. He had to have her - she was already so wet for him. When he heard her soft moans and panting, he lifted her onto the clear side of the table where Shireen normally sat and pulled up her shirt to begin kissing her silky soft thighs when the front door swung open.

"Father!" Shireen shrieked.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bacon
> 
> (Also to clarify, the condo had an open floor plan. When Shireen open the front door, she saw a side view of the two on the dining room table which is the very far end of the condo. There is a foyer and living room between the front door and the dining room.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just plain silliness - my ode to my OTP (me and bacon -lol).
> 
> This is the book cover Shireen was referring to - <http://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1229562189i/2081480._UY123_.jpg>

There would be images forever etched into her brain.

Her father, who she thought may be a Franciscan monk in hiding (? - not sure what he is hiding from), atop of a red tressed beauty who was splayed on the dining room table with her long hair seeming artfully arranged to form a halo. It looked like a cover from one of the romance novels she purchased in secret but for her father not having a long flowing blond locks and the woman wearing a barely there shirt that was pushed up to her waist instead of a long billowing yellow gown.

And next to them was a platter holding a few strips of crispy bacon! Her father hated bacon and yet it looked like he and the woman ate quite a lot of them as the large platter was almost empty! Her father only allowed her one strip every two weeks, telling her that it was bad for her, full of saturated fat, sodium and nitrates.

It was too much to take in. She did not understand - that is not an almost empty platter of bacon, that is not a beautiful woman whose long legs were thrown over her father's shoulders, that is not her father whose lips were puckered to... If she closed her eyes and opened them again, they would all be gone. Blink. Blink. No - they were still there, the platter of bacon and her father now covering the woman with his body and looking sheepish and disappointed.

"B-b-bacon?"

She heard a weak voice asked. It was her own voice saying the only one word she could say aloud. The other word ("fuck") was one her father would never allow her to say.

The beautiful woman came from behind her father and asked her if she was hungry, remarked how it was wonderful to meet her and introduced herself. Her father finally regained his power of speech and called the woman, Sansa, his wife. There was such a tenderness in his eyes as he said those words. And then the beautiful woman kissed her cheeks three times, alternating from cheek to cheek. There was something in her kind blue eyes and sweet smile that made Shireen smile shyly right back as she gently steered her to an empty seat, the one where her late mother would sit in.

Then before the beautiful woman went to the kitchen, she saw her hold her father's hand and whispered something to him as he leaned towards her, like the way sunflowers leaned towards the sun. Her father kissed Sansa's forehead, whispering something back. She could count on one hand all the times she saw her father ever kiss her mother - which was nil, a bagel, nada, zilch. This woman, Sansa Starkova, obviously meant a great deal to her father so much that he married her but she was confused on why she never met Sansa before or how they were married so quickly. Before she left on the school trip Thursday morning, she was sure he was not married - there was no ring on her father's finger. Nothing made any sense.

She looked back at them in the kitchen - her father buttering toast (! - he normally ate toast plain, never with any butter, mayo, sandwich spread or even a smear of Dijon mustard) and her "new" mother was flipping two over medium eggs and heating up some home fries. She saw the sweet glances they gave each other and how her father seemed so much happier. It looked like a scene from a TV show or movie about the perfect family. She shook her head - she was so baffled. Her father never looked at any woman that way.

As she ate, her father and Sansa sat down, hands clasped together. They took turns explaining how they got married. Stannis started off first by saying that Sansa was from Russia, and Sansa continued by saying that they exchanged letters. Stannis informed her that she had a new mother and would soon have new siblings as they planned to adopt Sansa's siblings who were still in Russia.

Their words washed over her. Those words explained seemingly everything but they explained absolutely nothing. It explained why Sansa was here but somehow did not explain how love, that was what was in both of their eyes, came so quickly. When they looked at her expectantly at the end, she still could not say anything - she was still numb with shock. There was an awkward silence.

"Bacon?" Sansa asked with a hesitant smile.

"Bacon," Shireen replied, nodding like one of the bobble head dolls.

As usual, her father placed one lone strip, the smallest one, on her plate and when he saw Sansa looking at him questioningly, he placed two larger strips on her plate.

Biting into the crispy bacon, Shireen could not help but sigh with pleasure at the taste of pure heaven. Finally it hit her - it was instant love! _Bacon_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danae
> 
> [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaë_(Titian_series)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana%C3%AB_\(Titian_series\))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While Shireen saw romance book cover when she saw Sansa and Stannnis, I imagined Stannis would see one of the Titian paintings as he gazed upon Sansa. When I did a Wiki research on Titian's Danae painting series, I was intrigued by the parallels of the Danae story with Sansa's story here.

She was a feast for all of his senses, sprawled on the dining room table like she was Titian's Danae come to life. He could smell her desire for him. She was already hot and wet for him, and her skin was soft and smooth. Soft pantings and sighs came from her, the sweetest song he ever heard.

There was a moment when all time seemed to stop when he looked into her eyes, silently begging for more, so much more than their culturally sensitive kisses (with tongue). There was never any lie in her eyes. She wanted him, and he wanted her. Pushing up the sheer shirt up to her waist, he saw her glistening, beckoning him towards her like a siren to a hapless sailor. As he was planning to plunge into the abyss like so many sailors before him, ready to drown in an endless eddies of rapture, he heard a sound he would never forget.

"Father!" Shireen shrieked.

That harsh scream was like ice cold water thrown onto him. He froze with his lips puckered to kiss the soft skin of Sansa's inner thigh - he could not move, speak or see. Only when Sansa quickly got up did his motor reflexes took over in stepping protectively in front of her, shielding her nearly nude body from his daughter.

Looking sheepishly at Shireen, Stannis saw that she was also in shock. Her mouth was still open. She did not move but her eyes swept across the vast room, noting the almost empty platter of bacon and then to Sansa and him and then back to the bacon. Her eyes kept going back and forth. His daughter stuttered, "B-b-bacon?"

Sansa recovered much faster than he, easily sidestepping his immobile body and moving gracefully towards Shireen, exclaiming her happiness in finally meeting her and introducing herself. Sansa kissed his daughter, but not like the way she kissed him. And his daughter Shireen smiled.

It was like Sansa was in a technicolor movie, color so highly saturated, hair the darkest auburn, eyes the brightest blue, lips so pink, her silky skin glowing, while he and his daughter were in the black and white stop-animation cartoons (like the early Mickey Mouse cartoons) as both were dressed in black and white and moving quite awkwardly and jerkily. When Sansa touched them, they both seemed to come to life, reanimated, the color reaching their pale cheeks.

Finally regaining his power of speech after her introductions, Stannis finally told Shireen that Sansa was his wife. Wife. When he said that, Sansa smiled so brightly at him that he found himself grinning right back as she held his hands. That pronouncement felt so true in his mind as if no truer words were ever uttered by him before, not even his angry confessions to his doctor.

As she flitted to the kitchen, he followed. Before she began cooking, she whispered her apologies - she did not realize that his daughter would be back so soon. But it was not her fault, he was there too and he knew his daughter would arrive in the morning. If what they did was wrong, he would never want to be right - he just wanted to have his mouth, his cock or his fingers (seven's hell, every part of his body) touching her sweet body, basking in her happy sighs, moans of pleasure, and sunny smiles.

Even cooking with her was so delightful, glancing at her when he felt her shy gaze and watching her blush so prettily when he catches her eyes. He found himself buttering toasts. _Where did the butter come from?_ Sansa pulled out from the pantry a jar of Nutella and begin heating up his almond milk for hot chocolate. _Nutella???_ Before he would be affronted by his daughter who needed to be more disciplined in her diet, but now it was merely a mildly puzzling thing how she managed to purchase the contraband food items without his notice.

When Stannis and Sansa sat down with Shireen, they began to explain everything to her. The more he heard their story, the more it felt so real, even the part of him writing her letters and her telling his daughter about his love of the ocean and how that reminded her of her love for the wintry tundra of her home. He was that kind sensitive man who loved her and wanted to care for her and her siblings. Even if the words that made her fall for him were not written by him, those words were still true if they spoke of his tender feelings for her, of his respect for her, and of his love for her. He loved her - he knew the moment he came back to the bedroom, when he held her crying body, when he kissed her head, when he slept holding her in his arms.

Their situation was nothing like the story of Danae and Zeus with his shower of gold! Stannis was not buying her - he was saving them all. He never realized how broken and starved for love he was, not even during his counseling sessions when his doctor. His daughter needed a mother and playmates, and he needed to be more there for her. They were as much being saved as Sansa and her siblings.

Thinking of the letters, Stannis remembered the words of his brother about the white lies he constantly spouted. Robert believed that there was a bit of truth in them and that they were actually acts of kindness. There was no harm in them. Stannis always thought his brother was full of shit (lies are lies) but perhaps he was right after all. Robert was right about Sansa being so wonderful. Maybe it was better for Sansa not to know that Robert wrote the letters.

Looking at his two girls chatting with each other, each sharing the last strip of bacon, his heart felt so full. Sansa placed in his mouth the last small piece of bacon. Shireen was right - the crackling saltiness, it was a taste of heaven, like manna given by the gods.

They were happy. They were family. _What could go wrong?_


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert comes to visit.

Sansa thought that she would die from mortification when her new daughter walked in on them. It was far from the first impression she wanted Shireen to have of her - her moaning so wantonly with her legs spread open and Stannis kissing her thighs. She never acted so forward before. Her friends often laughed at her calling her a prude and were shocked when they found out that she never kissed a lover before.

It is that Sansa wanted a true union, a union of their bodies, wanting to make true the words they vowed to each other, for him to love her and she to love him. But he was hesitant to be intimate with her even though she could tell that he wanted her too. She innately knew that she would have to make the first move. 

There was something that held him back. She understood that many people in the western world did not understand and were unsettled by the concept of arranged marriages. In her small town, it was not unusual for marriages to be arranged. In fact, her parents' marriage was arranged by a marriage broker who was hired by their families, and their marriage was happy. But she knew that there was more than that concern. She saw in his eyes such guilt, but yet also such affection and love. Yes, it was love, like the looks her father gave her mother. Perhaps he was an ascetic, one of those men who thought indulging in pleasure was bad. She wanted to disabuse him of that notion - that the pleasure they will give to each other would be good. His repression of his desires, when they were reciprocated, could not be healthy. 

He seemed so tightly wound, like a warm shaken up bottle of pop. She only had to twist the cap a tiny bit for the poor man to explode. So she did with light kisses, licks and bites. At her last nibble that barely grazed his jaw, Stannis quickly and yet carefully placed her on the dining table, pushing up the shirt and after getting her consent, diving right in, kissing her and lapping her up like a fat cat lapping milk. And little Shireen witnessed it all. Seven hells!

Somehow that mortification triggered her normal defense mechanism, her armor of courtesy. Sansa pretended there was naught to see, nothing wrong, as if it were perfectly normal that husbands and wives enjoyed morning delights on the dining table, in plain viewing (suddenly she noticed that the drapes were all open but they were so high up that she doubted anyone could see). Sansa instinctively flew towards the small girl who looked shocked and also hungry. They introduced her to Shireen, and he called her his wife with such surety in his voice that it took her breath away. Wife. And when he looked at her with such affection, she melted and smiled dazedly until she remembered that there was a young hungry and shocked girl in front of them.

In the kitchen, she apologized to her husband as it was truly her fault. Unlike many men she knew who only knew to blame, Stannis was more than just understanding - he accepted full responsibility. The sweet glances he then gave her made her heart swell. After awhile even Shireen seemed to recover from the shock, regaining her power of speech and enjoying the meal, especially the bacon.

But there was a jarring moment when something felt wrong - as if there was a flat note during a song. Strangely it was not during the awkward introductions but when they told Shireen how they came to be married. When Sansa spoke, she noticed his body stiffened slightly and his hands holding her hands slightly clenched. Did she say something wrong? But when she looked from Shireen to Stannis, all she saw was such love in his eyes that she blushed.

Perhaps she embarrassed him with her romantic notions of them being soul mates or by revealing the content of his letters to their daughter. Sansa knew that some men were a bit shy like that - her father was not as overtly affectionate as other men, not like her awful uncle who pawed his wife in public.

There was one strip of bacon left. Sansa watched as Shireen quickly grabbed it, like a frog catching a fly with its fast tongue, and upon watching Sansa's eyes upon her, immediately broke it into two. The girl was so lovely and sweet. Her husband raised her well to be considerate and well-behaved, much better than the behaviors of her younger siblings, especially Arya and Rickon who would have fought like wild wolves for that last piece (especially recently as money was tight and food was scarce). Sansa thanked her. Taking a large bite, Sansa savored the salty savory smoky goodness, sighing loudly, and noted Stannis staring at her with his mouth agape. There was a tiny piece of bacon left, and she placed it in his mouth. His lips closed on her fingers, lightly licking them. Would it be rude for them to leave Shireen and retreat to his bedroom to continue feasting on each other?

The front door swung open and in came Robert bearing her two suitcases, a box of donuts, and flowers.

"Here's Bobbbby!" he bellowed as Shireen giggled, Stannis growled and Sansa started at his loud entrance.

Robert rushed towards them and hugged the three almost painfully. 

When he looked appreciatively at Sansa, Stannis growled even louder and glared at him. Sansa looked down and finally realized that it was transparent and hid behind her husband. 

"How did you get in?"

"The door was open."

Stannis glared at his daughter who looked sheepishly back. But then he realized the reason why she forgot. It was his turn to flush bright red in embarrassment.

Gracefully, his wife greeted Robert with the customary three kisses on the cheeks, thanked him for delivering her bags, grabbed them and left to change, leaving him with gloating Robert and his daughter who was eying the donut box.

With a speed he rarely saw in his daughter, Shireen grabbed the box and the flowers. She went to the kitchen to put the flowers away, to get dessert plates and a fork and knife for her father.

Robert leaned to him and loudly whispered, "Did I pick a good one?" 

"Shut up," Stannis hissed, hoping that neither of his girls overheard. Grabbing his brother, he pulled him away to his study.

"Stanny, it is too early in the morning for wrestling. I just ate!" chortled the buffoon who was his brother.

Once the door closed, Stannis took many deep breaths, trying to remember all of his anger management tools. Empathize not crucify. Communication is the key. Violence is not the answer. 

It was not working as his ass of a brother was looking so self-satisfied like a fat cat that just ate a canary.

"She does not know that you picked her to be my wife like buying a washing machine in a Sears Roebuck catalog, selecting her by her picture and her measurements. And I do not want her to ever know. You need to keep your trap shut for once in your life," Stannis angrily said even though he knew the futility of his words.

"It was not like that. I wrote letters to other girls. Sansa is so sweet. I just knew that she would be the right one for you. And she is, isn't she?"

Thinking of her, he could not help smile and agree. He nodded.

"But don't you think it is better if you told her everything? You are not like me, not like Renley... You always told the truth even when it is not in your best interest because it was the right thing to do," Robert earnestly said.

Stannis could not believe that Robert would ever utter such words as his brother would normally be the one who would say the exact opposite, urging him to keep some god awful secret from his parents or from the authorities. The thing was that his brother was correct in that he always prided himself to be a man of his words. His late wife even knew that when she first asked him if some pants or some other article of clothing made her butt look big (the answer was always yes because her butt was quite disproportionately large in comparison to the rest of her body). He always said when faced with an angry wife that he could not lie, which made things ten times worse. But he know realized that there cannot be such hard and fast rules, about what the right thing is, especially when it came to Sansa.

"I just don't want her to be hurt or feel betrayed... I care for her," Stannis quietly said.

Flopping to the floor, Robert made to kneel and placed his right hand on his heart, vowing to never let Sansa know, that he would keep this secret from this day forward. It was the craziest visual, seemingly straight out of the King Arthur stories Stannis loved as a young boy (and still do). He would have thought it was some sort of farce, an elaborate joke his brother was playing on him, but there was something that he saw in Robert's eyes, such tenderness for him, that made him know that Robert meant his vows. Whether he could keep them, that was another story.

And Stannis did not stiffen when Robert awkwardly got up and bear-hugged him again. He let himself be swallowed by Robert's large frame until only his head was barely visible. It was strangely comforting. Although his older brother has been letting himself go with the vast amounts of food and alcohol he consumed, he still lifted weights. It was like being sandwiched between marshmallow covered steel, super soft and super hard at the same time. 

It felt good that he even hugged back and was rewarded by being lifted up in the air like he was when he was a child. Robert used to do this with him, lifting him up so he could be a plane and then throwing him and catching him, making him giggle. He looked down at his brother's face which was split in the biggest smile.

"Stanny, do you remember this? Do you think I can still throw you and catch you?" Robert asked.

He must have nodded as he was thrown up to the air and crashed hard against the ceiling. Then everything went dark.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Head injury = truth serum?

This was ridiculous - her anxiety about what she should wear! He saw her bare faced and wearing this thin white shirt that did nothing to cover her body for goodness sakes! But Sansa saw the way the young women dressed in this country, so fashionable with such short skirts and chic tops. In contrast, her clothes all looked frumpy and matronly like what her friends have always told her. Other than her outfit at the airport (the girls helped pool funds to buy the skirt as a gift, and she wore her older brother's white button down shirt and Myranda's pumps), the rest were (mostly floral) dresses with demure necklines and lengths (well below her knees) that she made herself. 

Getting out her sewing kit, Sansa decided to quickly shorten her boat necked navy/white striped dress to slightly above her knees. Her stitches were sloppy, but luckily the thread color perfectly matched the dark navy fabric. 

She gazed at herself in the floor length mirror. It was far from her best work but it would do. Swishing the skirt, Sansa looked as young as she really was, the way she looked before the Accident. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were bright with happiness and hope. 

She decided to go lighter with her application of makeup, just a swipe of lipstick and a light eyeliner, than her vixen look (complete with smoky cat eyes and bright red lipstick) at the airport. 

Suddenly there was a loud crash and cursing. Were the Baratheon brothers wrestling again? Perhaps it was an American pastime like the banyas for Russians. But she became alarmed when the cursing and yelling did not stop.

Rushing out, she almost ran smack into Robert who ran out of the next room. He rushed to the phone and began speaking too fast for her to understand, something about an emergency. Where was Stannis????

Shireen rushed into the room Robert just left, her father's study, and gasped. 

When Sansa saw Stannis on the ground, the side of his head bloodied, she tried not to panic and muffled her own cry of dismay. It would be fine - it had to be. The gods could not be so cruel. 

Shaking her head, she refused to succumb to panic. This was just like the scrapes and bruises her younger siblings got from their constant roughhousing. The only thing here was that each of the Baratheon brothers was so much bigger and heavier than her siblings combined.

Rushing over, she quickly performed the checks she did for Bran, pinching Stannis' hands and feet to check his reflexes. All good thankfully! Then she lightly wiped the blood off his face using his borrowed shirt and applied light pressure on the cut on his brow to stop the bleeding. He would be fine - he had to be. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the poor ceiling fan. Sansa would need to have a word with the brothers - that they are no longer children, that someone could get seriously hurt one of these days. But not today, please God.

Shireen came to kneel next to her and looked up to her quizzically.

"Just a small cut - I feel worse for the poor fan. Your father is very hard headed," Sansa gently teased, trying to make Shireen not worry so much.

There it was - a smile smirk from Shireen. Sansa held Shireen's hand and gently squeezed it, like the way Stannis calmed her in the car. Everything would be fine. It had to be.

His eyes flew open, and he groaned and tried to get up. With a strength she did not know she had, she pushed him back down. His eyes looked dazed, and she did not want to risk him getting up and falling down.

"Beauty, you are so beautiful," Stannis reverently whispered as he reached for her. He lightly touched her lips with his index finger as if he could not believe she was there. There was a rare gentle smile on his face. And Sansa found herself leaning down towards him, magnetically drawn to his lips.

She was pushed aside as men in uniforms attended to him. They spoke seemingly code, barking colors and directions to each other. And she suddenly felt like she was back in Russia in a hospital. So helpless and lost - her parents died of head trauma. Big arms embraced from behind, a loud voice rumbling apologies. 

His eyes fluttered open and there was an angel in front of him. A vision. Stannis struggled to get up but she held him down, her tiny hands pressed against his chest. It was absurd that this angel could overpower him, but she did. He was putty in her hands - almost boneless. A blob. And slimy at that. But he tried to move, feeling like he was in a giant block of lemon flavored jello, sounds seemed to be both muffled and echoing. Somehow he was able to lift his heavy hand to touch her, this beauty. "So beautiful."

Then suddenly he saw men atop him - his red beauty was gone. They took her away. Panicked, Stannis struggled against them, pulling off the oxygen mask, thrashing, and pushing them as they restrained him. There was a pin prick, and all was dark once again.

When he opened his eyes again, Stannis found that he was not home, but in a sterile white room. He remembered being lifted up by his brother, but then after that there were only flashing images - red beauty, lips, strange men in uniforms... Was it all a dream? 

Then his door opened, and she rushed in. Sansa dropped an overnight bag, and quickly kissed him. She felt so good that he did not want to stop kissing her even though his head hurt. Seeing his grimace, she gently backed away.

"Stannis, they say you will be well, just a mild concussion, that they are only keeping you for observations... They let me stay with you." Sansa waved at the small roll away bed next to his hospital bed that she must have placed a colorful afghan blanket with a worn looking rabbit stuffed animal, his daughter's favorite childhood toy atop the pillow. 

Seeing his eyes upon Mushu, Sansa picked the stuffed animal and placed it on his lap. 

"Shireen said that you needed Mushu to keep you company. She is staying with the Seaworths tonight, and she will come tomorrow when you are released."

They both smiled as each lightly touched one of the long ears of the stuffed animal. Stannis scooted to the side to leave some room for her, patting the bed. Gingerly, she laid down next to him as he held her, feeling her body relax against his, her body perfectly fitting his body. His hands gently mapped her curves as she gasped and sighed appreciatively. But they could not do more than that - kissing and touching over their clothes. They were in a hospital, and he knew that given his normal bad luck, a nurse, a doctor or even worse his brother would barge in any second. 

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Better now you are here," he responded. He realized how true this statement was as he recalled his moments of panic when he thought that everything was a dream. Stannis nuzzled her neck, making her giggle as his twelve o'clock shadow was tickling her sensitive skin. 

The door bursted open. Of course it was his brother! Robert filled the small room, shouting, "You two need to get a room - oh right, you are in a room." He started guffawing and laughing at his own joke as both Stannis and Sansa just stared at him, Stannis in irritation and Sansa in slightly embarrassed confusion (was that supposed to be funny?).

Sansa quickly got off the bed as Robert leaned over and immediately slapped Stannis hard on his shoulder.

Robert sheepishly said, "I did not know my own strength - you are lighter than I expected. You are too skinny. Luckily your wife would fatten you up, but maybe not to my extent... Um, I am truly sorry... but your wife said no more wrestling, no more airplane, no more upsy daisy, no more throw you up to the sky so high. We are not children. Sorry, Stanny."

Stannis gritted his teeth, wanting to strangle his brother - that idiotic buffoon made it seem that he was the one at fault, that he wanted to wrestle, wanted to lifted and thrown up in the air. Everything suddenly came back so clearly to him. He could not believe that right before the accident he thought Robert was not so bad, that his brother meant well, and that he was being too tough on his brother.

Before Stannis could get up, his wife grabbed his hand, and he looked at her face, her eyes asking him to stand down. He laid back and watched her smile brightly at him. Her smile warmed his heart so much that he barely snarled when Robert laughingly placed a large box of condoms on his chest, chortling that they were flavored and winking outrageously at him. If he just focused on her eyes, her lips, he could barely register his brother's presence. He silently and dazedly watched as she laughed with her brother and awed at how quickly she got him to leave, with her gently leading him away. They were finally alone again.

"Stannis, he is really sorry. He did not mean to hurt you."

Listening to her words and remembering the chagrin in his brother's voice, Stannis knew her words were true. It was an accident. It was just... He forgot his train of thought as she slipped in the hospital bed and started to kiss him once again. She wanted him - this wonderful person desired him. He wanted her. 

Closing his eyes, he relished her attention (kisses and gentle nibbles) to his lips and his jawline. Stannis reached for the bottom of her dress and his hand snaked up her silk stocking and then that skimming the soft skin of her inner thigh. 

His eyes flew open! Seven hells, she was not wearing panties! 

Seeing the question and surprise in his eyes, she flushed bright red and said she had wanted to surprise him but then everything happened. Apologetically, she got up and whispered that they should not do anything strenuous for a day or two, just to be on the safe side. 

Fuck no! Indeed. It seemed the gods were conspiring against him - his life, a sick joke, him being the sad punchline to every bad joke. It was not fair!

His beautiful eyes were so expressive. Her husband spoke to her truly with his eyes. She initially doubted his affection for her when he walked away from her, but then she realized that he was being honorable, not wanting to take advantage of her or the situation they were in. The sadness she sometimes saw was regret and guilt - there were mistakes she made in her life but she somehow felt that she would not regret this, marrying this man. She wanted him to not regret their marriage. There was such repressed desire, so palpable that she could almost feel it. She desired him too. Da, his lean strong body aroused her - she could not forget watching him shower and how the water streamed down his muscled back, over his butt, and down his legs. But it was his want for her, the passion he barely controlled, that made her so aroused. And then there was such pain, frustration and anger in his dealings with his brother, that flowed, ebbed and now overflowed once again. The Baratheon brothers were so different but yet she saw they were good, had such good hearts. And now this, such pained anguish as she got off the bed. It also broke her - she wanted them to be truly husband and wife, for them make love and become one. But she wanted to make sure that he recovered fully. What could she say that would make him feel less distraught?

"Just a few days - it will be worth the wait," she purred as the poor man was whimpering. 

Sansa could not believe those bold words she just said, promises she was not sure if she can fulfill. He would likely expect someone more experienced than her - she was a virgin who had never truly kissed a man until she met Stannis. All of Myranda's lessons were now jumbled in her brain, and many required a man to be quite fit and a woman to be quite flexible. Luckily, Sansa meticulously wrote them down in her notepad, along with notations of degree of difficulty. There must be something they could do that did not require so much effort from him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by giggling Nurse Walda Frey who came in to check Stannis' vitals. Doctor Roose Bolton scanned his records and tersely told Stannis that he had a mild concussion and would be checked out tomorrow unless he experienced any confusion, blurred vision, nausea or dizziness. With narrowed eyes, the doctor turned to Sansa to warn her of the dangers of engaging in any sexual activity with her new husband for at least two days, if not more. It was as if the doctor "heard" her thoughts or saw them in bed. Sansa was so embarrassed and saw that Stannis must have been too as he was flushed red.

When the doctor and the nurse left the room and before the door closed, she overheard the cheerful nurse coo that it was so romantic that they just got married while the doctor smirked and said under his breath that the Russian woman was just a filthy gold digger. 

Sansa gasped, and Stannis immediately held her hand. He adamantly shook his head and told her that the doctor was an idiot and was wrong. But she could not stop thinking that was what everyone saw and thought when they saw her with him. Her husband was clearly a powerful man, and she was not in his league. Yet when she looked in his eyes, she saw that his eyes were filled with such adoration and admiration. It should not matter what strangers thought. She recalled how many thought highly of her uncle, and he was a truly horrid man. But she did not want to bring any shame to her husband, did not want others view him a lesser man because of her. Before her thoughts could further spiral downward, his large hand gently squeezed hers, making her look into his eyes again. 

Stannis saw how that bastard doctor treated Sansa, and he was livid. He did not want to make a scene, to make it awkward for his sweet wife. After his release from the hospital, he would lodge a sharply worded complaint and let the hospital know of this man's unprofessional behavior. His family made sizable donations to the hospital and could easily withdraw their future funding for the new cancer wing. When they overheard the doctor's comments to his nurse, he saw how those words hurt his wife. As before, he felt an overwhelming need to protect her. He had to tell her everything.

"Sansa, look at me. He does not know you, does not know the person you are. You are so good, so strong, so brave, so kind, so far from anything he says... I-I am glad that we are married, that you are in my life, my daughter's life... I love you."


End file.
